When one is Late in Joining the Congregational Prayers…

روي أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: إذا جئتم إلى الصلاة ونحن سجود فاسجدوا ولا تعدوها شيئا. ومن أدرك ركعة من الصلاة مع الإمام قبل أن يقيم الإمام صلبه فقد أدرك الصلاة إلا أنه يقضي ما فاته.

It is narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘When you come to join Sala’h and find us in prostration¹, then you should join in the prostration but should not count this prostration as a part of your Sala’h². Whoever [joins late but] completes one Rak`ah of the Sala’h, while praying in congregation with the Imam – before the Imam straightens his back [from Ruku`]³ – would be considered as having offered his prayers with the congregation, except that he must complete the part of the Sala’h that he has missed⁴ [because of his late joining]⁵.”

General Notes:

1. i.e., you find the congregation in Sajdah.

2. i.e., at the time of joining, if the person finds the congregation in prostration, then even though he knows that his prostration shall not be counted as part of his Sala’h, yet he should join the congregation and, thereby, offer an extra prostration. This part of the narrative has also referred to the point that when a person joins in the congregation, while the congregation is in prostration, 1) the person would neither be considered to have completed the particular Rak`ah at the end of which the prostration is being offered; 2) nor would this prostration be counted as having been offered as a part of the person’s Sala’h. The former point implies that at the end of the congregation, when the person stands up to offer the missed part of his Sala’h, he shall also have to offer the particular Rak`ah during the prostration of which he had joined the congregation. The latter point implies that while completing the missed Rak`ahs, the person will also have to offer the Sajdah anew, as the Sajdah during which he had joined the congregation would not be counted as a part of his Sala’h.

3. As is generally held by most of the Muslims, a person would be said to have completed a particular Rak`ah with the congregation, if he joins the congregation before the Imam straightens his back, rising from the Ruku` of that Rak`ah.

4. i.e., at the end of congregation, when the Imam offers Salaam, the person should then stand up and then complete that part of the Sala’h, which the congregation had offered before his joining.

5. The same rule as mentioned in the narrative under consideration applies to all congregational prayers, including the Jum`ah congregation.

Notes on the Text of the Narrative

This narrative or a part of it, with minor variations, has been reported in Bukhariy (narrative no. 555), Muslim (narrative no. 607), Tirmidhi (narrative no. 524), Nassaiy (narrative no. 553, 554, 555, 556, 557, 558 and 1425), Abu Dawood (narrative no. 893 and 1121), Ibn Maajah (narrative no. 1121, 1122 and 1123), Maalik’s Mu’watta (narrative no. 15 and 238), Al-Darmiy (narrative no. 1220 and 1221), Ahmad ibn Hanbal (narrative no. 7652, 7752 and 8870), Ibn Hibban (narrative no. 1483, 1485, 1486 and 1487), Ibn Khuzaymah (narrative no. 1595, 1622, 1848, 1849, 1850 and 1851), Nassaiy’s Sunan Al-Kubraa (narrative no. 1536, 1537, 1538, 1539, 1540, 1541, 1741 and 1742), Bayhaqiy (narrative no. 1684, 2407, 2408, 5522, 5523, 5524, 5525, 5526, 5527, 5528 and 5531), Musnad of Abu Ya`laa (narrative no. 2625, 5962, 5966, 5967 and 5988) and Musnad Al-Humaydiy (narrative no. 946). The preferred text is the one reported in Muslim, narrative no. 607, except where otherwise specified.

The words “إذا جئتم إلى الصلاة ونحن سجود فاسجدوا ولا تعدوها شيئا” (i.e. ‘When you come to join Sala’h and find us in prostration, then you should join in the prostration but should not count this prostration as a part of your Sala’h‘) have been reported in Abu Dawood, narrative no. 893.

In most of the variant reported texts of the narrative, the words “مع الإمام” (i.e. ‘with the Imam‘) have been omitted, as, for instance, in Bukhariy’s narrative no. 555. However, these words have been reported in Muslim’s narrative no. 607.

The words “قبل أن يقيم الإمام صلبه” (i.e., ‘before the Imam straightens his back’) are reported in Ibn Khuzaymah’s narrative no. 1595, which implies the time at which one may consider oneself as having completed a Rak`ah with the Imam. This part implies that if a person joins the congregation while the Imam was in Ruku` – before the time that the Imam had straightened his back, rising from the Ruku` – one would then be said to have completed the Rak`ah in which he had joined the congregation.

In some of the narratives, as, for instance, in one of the other texts reported in Muslim’s narrative no. 607, the words “فقد أدرك الصلاة” (i.e., ‘he would then be considered as having offered his prayers with the congregation’) have been reported as “فقد أدرك الصلاة كلها” (i.e., he would then be considered to have completely offered his prayers’). Similarly, in Nasaiy’s narrative no. 557, these words have been replaced by “فقد تمت صلاته” (i.e., ‘then his prayers are complete’). These variants seem to be an error on the part of the narrators.

The words “إلا أنه يقضي ما فاته” (i.e., ‘except that he must complete the part of the Sala’h that he has missed’) have been reported in Nasaiy’s narrative no. 558. In some other narratives, as, for instance, Ibn Maajah’s narrative no. 1121, the same meaning is conveyed through the words “فليصل إليها أخرى” (i.e. ‘then he should offer the other [missed] part, joining it with the part he has already offered’), while in Ibn Hibban’s narrative no. 1486, the same implication is conveyed through the words “وليتم ما بقي” (i.e., ‘and then he should complete the part that remains [missed]’).

It is obvious that the same rule as is mentioned in the narrative under consideration will also apply to all the congregational prayers, including the Jum`ah prayers. Thus, a similar narrative has also been reported with specific reference to the Jum`ah congregational prayers, as follows:

روي أنه قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: من أدرك من صلاة الجمعة ركعة فقد أدرك.

It is narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘Whoever [joins in late in such a way that he] completes a Rak`ah of the Jum`ah prayers, he would then be considered as having offered his Jum`ah prayers with the congregation.

These words are reported in Nasaiy’s narrative no. 1425.

Some more details are given in the following narrative:

 روي أنه قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: من أدرك من الجمعة ركعة فليصل إليها أخرى فإن أدركهم جلوسا صلى أربعا.

It is narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘Whoever [joins in late in such a way that he] completes a Rak`ah of the Jum`ah prayers, he should then offer the other [missed] part, joining it with the part he has already offered with the congregation. However, if a person [joins in late in such a way that he finds the congregation sitting after the two Rak`ahs, then he should offer four Rak`ahs [as he would do while offering Zuh’r prayers].’

These words have been reported in Bayhaqiy’s narrative no. 5527.

 (This write-up is prepared by the Hadith Cell of Javed Ahmad Ghamidi)